At the End of the Aisle
by Ellie603
Summary: It's Monica and Chandler's wedding day, but when Monica's pregnancy test comes back positive, she has to figure out how to tell her fiancé before the wedding. With a Chandler freak out almost inevitable, Monica is unsure what will be waiting for her once the ceremony begins.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I wanted to get this finished and posted two or three days ago, but my life got really busy all of the sudden. I had this idea a couple weeks ago, and I'm glad I finally was able to get it written. It's basically "TOW Monica and Chandler's Wedding," only with the positive pregnancy test that Phoebe found actually being Monica's. There are some really cute Chandler bits in here that I absolutely loved writing, and part of this has Ross as the central character, which was especially fun since I haven't written him before. Anyway, enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own _Friends_, but some dialogue is taken from "TOW Monica and Chandler's Wedding."_

* * *

Monica looked down at the pregnancy test in her hands. There was no mistaking the little red plus sign. Positive.

Monica had always wanted a baby, and she knew that she would be a good mom, but this just wasn't the best day for the news. In less than twelve hours she was supposed to get married to Chandler, her wonderful fiancé, who happened to have a tendency to freak out in situations like this and who had already seemed a little weird at the rehearsal dinner the previous night. When he found out she was pregnant, on top of everything else, who knew what would happen. Chandler hadn't had a real freak out so far during their engagement, but Monica knew if ever there was a situation that would warrant one, this was it.

Monica took a deep breath, calming herself as she tried to figure out what to do. It was still very early, so none of her friends had seen her yet. For the briefest of moments, she thought of telling Rachel and Phoebe. She trusted them both completely, and she would have loved to have their opinions on the situation. But, almost immediately, she ruled that idea out. It was Chandler's baby, so Chandler had to be the first to know about this. She realized that news this big had the potential to destroy the wedding, but, at the same time, she knew that it wouldn't be fair to Chandler to tell him about it after the wedding; she had to do it before she met him at the end of the aisle. All she could do was hope that he wouldn't run away once she told him. She knew Chandler would make such an amazing father, but, with everything that had happened to him as a child and the terrible examples his parents had set for him, she knew he didn't feel ready to have kids yet.

_He'll figure it out though_, Monica thought to herself, optimistically. _We'll have months before the baby comes to prepare for everything. It'll be okay._

Monica stood and tossed the pregnancy test in the trash. She decided she would take another one after the wedding to make sure it wasn't a false positive. _That's assuming there's actually going to be a wedding,_ she added to herself, darkly, but then shook her head. Chandler was the only one she wanted to know about this today, so she had to act normal. She turned to the sink and splashed some water on her face. It was going to be a long day.

She left the bathroom and crept quietly back into her room to put on some shoes before she slipped over to Joey's to see Chandler. They had agreed not to see each other for the whole night and day leading up the wedding, but she thought that this was a good enough excuse to break that agreement.

As she was about to head back into the living room, she heard Phoebe's door open next to her and footsteps sound across the floor to the kitchen.

Monica stopped and decided to wait and see if Phoebe went back to her room. After a few minutes of relative silence, punctuated by small kitchen noises as, Monica assumed, Phoebe made herself coffee, Monica heard the apartment door open and Rachel's voice muffled by the door.

Monica sighed. There was no way she was going to be able to get away with sneaking off to see Chandler now that her closest friends were both awake and in the apartment, so she figured she should make an appearance and try to look as excited as possible. This was her wedding day after all; even the prospect of telling her freak-out-prone fiancé that she was pregnant couldn't take away all her excitement or even most of it.

"I'm getting married today!" she squealed, running out her bedroom door, her arms flailing, as she promptly tripped over her own feet and fell over.

Monica clutched her stomach quickly, for a moment scared that something could have happened to the baby, but then deciding everything was fine.

Her friends stared at her from the kitchen table, Rachel letting out a small gasp.

"Think I just cracked a rib," she covered for herself as the reason she had grabbed at her abdomen. "But I don't care, because today's my wedding day!" Monica clapped her hands together, half truly excited and half trying to act excited. "My day is finally here!" she raced back into her bedroom in the same manner she had exited it, minus the falling. She paused inside the room with the door closed for a second, catching her breath, as she decided that this was as good a time as any to start getting ready. Maybe her wanting to get ready would make Phoebe and Rachel decide to get dressed, which would give Monica the five minutes she needed to go see Chandler.

"I'm gonna start getting ready!" Monica said, opening the door excitedly, and then closing it almost immediately.

She listened at the door for her friends. Rachel's voice was getting louder, but Monica still couldn't make out anything she was saying. She heard Phoebe say something in reply, and then she heard a door close. Monica peaked out of her bedroom and realized it was just the bathroom they had gone into. She had no idea how much time that would leave her with. Monica sighed. Maybe a better idea would be to get ready as quickly as possible, so she could see Chandler after she finished. She closed her door and collapsed back on her bed, resting her hand on her stomach.

_Right now there's probably a little person in there,_ she said to herself, amazed. She amused herself for a moment by picturing a teeny tiny Chandler inside her making sarcastic comments at her uterus. As shocked and scared as she was by this turn of events, Monica couldn't help but smile widely. She and Chandler were going to have a baby. Their very own _baby_.

Monica stared at the ceiling for a few more minutes, registering slightly the sounds of doors opening and closing in the apartment as it seemed Phoebe and Rachel were getting changed. She realized that her plan to sneak over to Joey's wouldn't have worked, as her two friends seemed to be going in and out of Phoebe's bedroom and the bathroom every few minutes without warning.

Eventually, Monica heard what she thought was the front door close, and she decided that she needed to start planning what she needed to do to get ready. If everything was done perfectly with her, that would be one less thing to think about when she was inevitably trying to calm down Chandler later.

She opened the door to her bedroom and saw that she was correct in assuming that Rachel and Phoebe were both out of the apartment. _Well as soon as they get back,_ she told herself, rummaging through her makeup bag, _I'm getting ready as fast as possible._

She heard the door open and close again, and Monica grabbed her bag and made her way over to Rachel who had just walked in. "Hey!" she said excitedly to her friend. "Okay, so, I thought we'd start with my makeup and then do my hair." She smiled completely genuinely, letting herself really get excited for her big day as she sat down at the table.

"Okay, uh, but before you do that, I need you to talk to me," Rachel said nervously, still standing.

Monica looked at her friend curiously. "About what?"

"Um," Rachel paused. "I'm never gonna get married!" she suddenly cried, placing her hand on her forehead.

Monica groaned internally. _Really Rachel?_ she thought, knowing not to say anything like that out loud. _Today of all days! _She distracted herself quickly with her makeup bag. "Sure you will! The right guy's just around the corner!" Monica did genuinely believe this for her friend, but Rachel's timing was still annoying. "Okay are we done with that?" she asked her friend in a clipped tone.

"No, Monica! I'm serious!" Rachel continued. "Maybe I should just forget about it, become a lesbian or something."

Monica decided that the best course of action was not to humor her friend. It was _her _wedding day; she didn't have to deal with a complaining Rachel. "Any woman would be lucky to have you," she responded distractedly, pulling foundation and eye shadow out of her bag.

"Well maybe it would make me feel better if I slept with Joey," Rachel said, sadly.

This, Monica couldn't ignore. "Rachel, are you okay?" As someone who had wanted to sleep with Joey at the last wedding of someone in their group, Monica knew that this thought only came at a very low point.

Rachel shook her head in response as she began to talk. She missed having a boyfriend. She missed Tag and Ross. But then the mention of Ross led into yet another angry "we were on a break" centric Ross rant. Then came an in depth description of just how difficult it was for her to be alone.

"The nights are the hardest," Rachel said beside Monica at the table.

Monica was working very hard at not exploding at her friend. She had been worried about Rachel, but this was insane. She needed to get ready for her wedding, and, even more than that, she needed a chance to talk to Chandler.

"But then the day comes," Rachel continued, as though Monica was sitting there hanging on to her every word, "and that's every bit as hard as the night."

Monica rolled her eyes slightly at her friend, hoping that she would finally stop.

"And then the night comes again."

Monica had had enough. She clapped her hands together twice. "The days and the nights are hard, I get it! Okay? Look." Monica calmed down slightly, trying not to be too upset at her friend. "Um, Rachel, I'm sorry, I have to start getting ready! I'm getting married today!" She started packing all her makeup back in its bag.

"I know," Rachel replied, sullenly, "at dusk." She paused. "That's such a hard time for me."

"Okay, I'm gonna go put my makeup on. We have to be at the hotel in an _hour_!" Monica tried to impress upon Rachel the urgency of what was going on. At this rate, she knew that she probably wouldn't get to see Chandler until they made it to the hotel.

"Okay," Monica heard Rachel behind her, "wait!"

Monica turned, tired of her friend's nonsense with the days and the nights and how everything is so hard for her. "What?"

"Let's go to lunch," Rachel said, seriously.

Monica stared at her, her mouth falling open. "I can't go to _lunch_!"

"Right," Rachel replied, an odd look her on face.

Monica narrowed her eyes at her friend as she walked into the bathroom.

"Oh, good God, I've fallen down!" Monica heard Rachel from just outside the bathroom.

She came out to find her friend on the ground. Something was definitely up.

"What's going on?" Monica said staring down at her friend, her hands on her hips.

Rachel looked at her for a moment, and then sighed. "Okay." She picked herself up. "Alright, honey, listen, when I tell you what I'm about to tell you, I need you to remember that we are all here for you, and that we love you."

Monica grew worried. What could be so horrible that Rachel had spent a full hour going on and on about her problems just to hide it from her? "Okay, you're really freaking me out."

"We can't find Chandler," Rachel said finally, "'s vest. We can't find Chandler's vest."

Monica was torn between relief that nothing had happened to Chandler, since she really needed him to be okay before she told him the news, and a desire to freak out, because Chandler really needed his vest if this wedding was actually going to happen today.

"How can that be?" Monica launched into a small panicked rant. "Wait, wait, are you serious?"

Before Rachel could answer, Phoebe walked in, her hands raised trying to calm Monica down. "Found the vest. I mean we're going to have to keep an eye on it, you know, make sure we don't lose it again." She nodded to her friends.

"Ah," Rachel replied, evidently relieved.

"Oh, wow," Monica said, letting out a breath. "Okay, don't scare me like that, okay!" She pointed at Phoebe, letting herself laugh. Everything was okay for now. "I mean, for a minute there, I was like 'oh my God, the worst had happened!'" She kept laughing, high fiving Rachel and returning to the bathroom. Inside she breathed a more serious sigh of relief. Nothing was going to ruin her big day except the baby news, and that, at least, she could control.

Several hours later found Monica changing into her wedding dress with help from Rachel and her mother. Phoebe sat in the adjacent room trying to ease the tension between Chandler's parents that sat with her. Monica hadn't found a single moment to herself from when Phoebe came in with the news about Chandler's vest up to this point. She had casually asked about Chandler before they left the apartment, but had been informed that he and Ross had already left. She honestly had no idea how she was going to tell Chandler about the baby.

"Here comes the bride!" Monica's mother said, stepping out into the other room with Rachel before Monica walked through the doorway.

Phoebe gasped loudly, as she and both of Chandler's parents stood, all oooing and ahhing.

"I wanna wear this everyday!" Monica said truthfully, loving the way she looked in the dress.

"You look so beautiful," Rachel said, thankfully having dropped the "I'm never going to get married" façade after Chandler's vest was found.

Monica looked around at everyone. "I'm so happy for me!" she said, tearing up slightly at the thought of both the wedding and the baby.

Everyone laughed, clearly all happy for her as well.

She glanced at the clock. Less than an hour until the wedding. She shook her head, thinking. _How am I going to tell Chandler?_

* * *

Chandler stood in front of the mirror as Ross helped him put on his jacket.

"There you go!" his friend said to him, a forced calm atmosphere in the air that Chandler knew was to keep him from freaking out again. "You put on a tuxedo! Now that wasn't so scary, was it?" Ross was talking to him as though he were a small child.

Chandler was still on the verge of running screaming from the room, but he answered Ross's question honestly. "No."

Ross looked at him with what Chandler was sure was a somewhat insincere empathy. "I'm telling you, just a little bit at a time!" he said, referring to the strategy that had gotten Chandler out of his office, back to Joey's apartment, and, eventually, over to the hotel.

"Yeah, okay, well what's the next little bit?" Chandler asked, having been able to handle everything Ross asked of him so far.

Ross paused for a moment before answering. "Getting married."

Chandler gasped for air as Ross tried to calm him down.

"Okay, okay, but you can, you can do that too, just like you've done everything else." Ross looked at him imploringly.

Chandler stared at his friend. Maybe this would be okay. "Yeah, you're right. I, I can do that."

"Yeah!" Ross said, relief evident in his voice.

"Okay, excuse me for a minute," Chandler replied, trying to move past Ross and leave the hotel room. He may have just said that he could actually get married in less than an hour, but he knew that, no matter what, he definitely needed a cigarette.

"Wha-, wha-, hey, wha-, where you going?" Ross said worriedly, moving to block the door.

"Ross, I'm not gonna run away again," Chandler said seriously. "I just wanna get a little fresh air."

"Okay," Ross nodded at him.

"Okay," Chandler echoed, exiting the hotel room and surreptitiously pulling a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.

"Oh, fresh air!" he said to the empty hallway as he exhaled smoke.

Suddenly he heard Rachel and Phoebe's voices coming down the hotel hallway. They couldn't see him smoking! He thought for a moment of retreating to his room, but Ross would be just as judgmental as Phoebe and Rachel. Thinking quickly, he popped into the room which held the ice machine as his two friends walked by.

"I mean there's no way Joey's gonna make it in time," Chandler heard Rachel say through the door.

_Monica's not gonna like that,_ he thought quickly as Rachel continued.

"So I'm gonna go through the hotel and see if there's any other weddings going on."

"Okay," Phoebe's voice answered her. "Oh, but don't tell them that Monica's pregnant, cause they frown on that!"

"Okay," Rachel answered, and Chandler heard the women separate and walk in opposite directions down the hallway.

Chandler opened the door and stared out, his cigarette hanging forgotten in his mouth. Had Phoebe just said that Monica was _pregnant_? Pregnant? _Monica_? Chandler stared at the wall, not seeing what was in front of him as he began smoking rapidly. He wasn't ready to be a dad! He didn't know the first thing about being a parent. Ross and Phoebe had convinced him earlier that he could marry Monica and make it work, but this was completely different. A _baby_? He would be responsible for the _life _of a tiny_ person_. Chandler was terrified by the thought.

He looked at the door to the hotel room in which he was sure Ross was just starting to wonder where he was, and he decided it was now or never if he wanted to get away from his helpful, though somewhat overbearing, best man. So Chandler started walking down the hallway the same direction Rachel had left the moment before, heading to the lobby.

Chandler reached into his pocket to grab another cigarette as he walked down the stairwell, trying to avoid anyone he knew who might be on the elevator. But, fingering the pack, he discovered it was empty. Stopping on a landing, Chandler hurriedly removed the pack from his pocket and found that he had been correct; he was out of cigarettes. Chandler leaned against the wall for support. How was he supposed to do this if he couldn't even smoke?

Chandler loosened his tie nervously, trying to figure out where he could get cigarettes. _The gift shop_! he realized suddenly, racing down the last couple flights of steps and opening the door that led to the lobby.

He crossed the lobby, throwing furtive glances all around him to make sure he wasn't seen, and then stepped quickly into the gift shop. He spotted cigarettes by the counter, and began to stride purposefully over to them, but, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that made him stop.

There was a small display of baby clothes on one of the gift shop shelves. His eyes were drawn to a onesie that proclaimed "I *heart* New York." He held it up in front of him. It was so tiny. _How could something this small ever be scary? _he thought to himself. _Monica and I are more than a match for a little guy like this. _Chandler smiled to himself. _Maybe I _can_ be a dad._

Chandler suddenly realized that he could never abandon Monica with something like this. He loved her so much, and she loved him. He knew she needed his support. _I should buy this for her and give it to her so she knows that I'm not freaking out about everything, _he thought, the idea coming to him quickly.

Chandler found a small gift bag and took that and the onesie to the checkout counter. He stared longingly at the cigarettes for a moment, but he knew that Monica hated it when he smoked, and he didn't want to give her something else to worry about. The wedding and the baby were enough without adding Chandler smoking to the list.

After paying, Chandler put the onesie in the bag and grinned down at it. He was going to be a dad. He walked back across the lobby and pushed the button for the elevator, planning on going back to his room to wait until he would finally be able to marry the woman he loved more than anything in the world, the woman who was going to have their baby.


	2. Chapter 2

Chandler had been out of the room for over five minutes, and Ross was getting worried. He opened the door, expecting to see a very nervous Chandler, but, instead, he found only an empty hallway. "Chandler?" he called out, but was answered only be silence.

"And here's where I hunt you down and kick your ass, Bing," Ross said under his breath as he went to search for his friend.

Turning right, he raced down the hallway, making a couple turns and ending at the room where Monica was supposed to be getting ready. Maybe Chandler had slipped away to talk to his bride-to-be.

Ross burst through the door, breathing heavily, but found himself faced with a group of people who all were not Chandler: he and Monica's parents, Chandler's parents, and Phoebe.

"Hi," Ross said, trying to act casual. "Hi," he repeated, directed at Mrs. Bing. "Hi," he said a third time to Chandler's father who had started touching his arm. "Has, um, anyone seen Chandler?" he asked in an attempt to appear nonchalant.

"I thought he was with you," Ross's father said, questioning.

"He, he was with me," Ross replied, thinking quickly. "Um, we're playing a little game, hide and seek!" Ross laughed, trying to be convincing.

"You can't ask us son, that's cheating!" Ross's father said as his mother nodded in agreement.

Ross stared at him for a few moments, considering how oblivious his father was that the fact that Ross had asked where Chandler was during a game of "hide and seek" right before Chandler's wedding was the problem he found with Ross's statement. "You're right, thanks for keeping me honest, Dad," he replied to his father, tonelessly.

"Well, he better not come by here," Ross's mom added. "He can't see the bride in a wedding dress." She smiled.

"As I recall," Nora Bing intoned, "when we got married, I saw the groom in the wedding dress." She threw a look at her ex-husband in the chair across from her.

"Well that was after the wedding," Charles corrected, "it's not bad luck then."

"Honey, it isn't good luck," Nora replied in a relatively genial tone.

Ross stood awkwardly at the edge of the circle, unsure of what to do next in his search for Chandler.

Then Monica came out of the adjoining room, her dress and veil perfect as she smiled at him.

"Oh my God, Monica!" Ross said, unable to find any more words to express to his sister how beautiful she looked and how happy he was for her.

"I know!" she replied, smiling hugely, though her eyes seemed slightly worried. "Hey, how's Chandler doing?" she asked quickly.

"Great," Ross replied, lying through his teeth, but hoping he would be able to fix everything by the time Monica walked down the aisle in less than half an hour. "He's doing great. Don't you worry about Chandler."

Monica looked at him oddly for a moment. "Ross, actually can you do something for me?"

"Of course," Ross replied seriously, "anything."

"Okay." Monica disappeared into the adjoining room. Ross, through the open door, could see her take a pen and start writing rapidly on a piece of paper.

After several minutes, she returned, the paper folded several times. She handed it to him. "Can you get this to Chandler? But don't open it. And stay with him while he reads it. Please." She looked at him pleadingly.

"Of course I'll give this to Chandler, and don't worry about anything," Ross responded, tucking the note safely in his pocket. He turned to Phoebe. "Phoebe, can I see you for a second?" He motioned to the door to the hallway.

"Yeah," Phoebe said, standing up.

The pair walked out to the hallway, and Ross shut the door.

"What's going on?" Phoebe asked curiously.

Ross dropped his calm façade. "Chandler's gone again!"

"Oh my God," Phoebe said, upset. "Why would you play hide and seek with someone you know is a flight risk?"

Ross stared at her for a moment. "We weren't playing hide and seek! I made that up so I didn't have to tell my dad that his future son-in-law may have just run off on his daughter!" he said, frustrated.

"Ohhhh," Phoebe responded, comprehension dawning on her. "I see."

Ross nodded at his friend. "Okay, let's go find Chandler."

* * *

Chandler stepped out of the elevator and began walking back to his room.

Suddenly Ross and Phoebe came out from around a corner.

"THERE HE IS!" Ross shouted, pointing at him.

"What?" Chandler asked calmly as Ross barreled toward him, wrestling him to the ground.

"Wait, no!" Chandler heard Phoebe above and behind him as he struggled to keep from letting Ross pin him to the ground.

"You're not getting away this time, mister," Ross yelled angrily, "unless you want that ass kicking we talked about!" The veins in Ross's forehead were pulsing menacingly.

"Ross," Chandler began, trying to explain himself to his friend as he struggled to sit up.

"HIIIIYA!" Ross gave a high-pitched cry and extended his arms out as though he were about to karate chop Chandler. "I'm serious. You're not walking out on my sister!"

Chandler got to his feet. "That's right, I'm not."

Ross calmed down slightly. "Then where the hell have you been?"

"I know about Monica," Chandler replied in explanation.

Ross stared at him, confused, but Phoebe replied instead.

"You know?" she asked, shocked.

"What?" Ross said, clearly not sure what the other two were referring to.

"Yeah, I heard you and Rachel talking," Chandler said to Phoebe, as he turned back to Ross.

"What? What? Talking about what?" Ross turned from Chandler to Phoebe, evidently out of the loop.

"You don't know?" Chandler suddenly realized, staring at his friend.

"Know wha-?" Ross asked again, beginning to get upset. "If someone doesn't tell me what's going on RIGHT NOW-" He extended his arms in a karate pose again.

Phoebe moved to stand beside Chandler. "What? You'll hiya?" she said, mocking him.

Chandler smiled for a moment and then ran his fingers through his hair. "Monica's pregnant," he explained to Ross.

Ross looked from Chandler to Phoebe as though to check if one of them was lying. "Oh my God," he said softly. "Oh my God, and you're not, you're not freaking out?" He gestured to Chandler in front of him.

Chandler ran his hands through his hair again, nervously. "Well, I was, then I went down to the gift shop cause I was out of cigarettes–"

Ross and Phoebe both began to yell at him for smoking, but Chandler interrupted them.

"Big picture please!" he said, exasperatedly.

His friends looked at each other and dropped the subject.

"So when I was in the gift shop," Chandler started rummaging through the bag, "That's when I saw this." He pulled out the "I *heart* New York" onesie he had purchased downstairs.

Ross and Phoebe clutched at it, huge smiles on their faces.

"Yeah, you know, and I thought anything that can fit into this–" he motioned to the onesie "–can't be scary." He smiled at his friends.

"Well you obviously didn't see Chuckie 3," Phoebe said looking sideways at him.

"But come on, look how cute and small this is!" Chandler said excitedly. "So, I got it to give Monica so she'd know I was okay."

"Dude," Ross said simply, as he reached over and gave Chandler a hug.

Jack Geller came down the hallway and patted Ross on the back. "Way to go, son. I knew you'd find him!" Chandler turned and gave Ross and odd look.

Ross shook his head as if to say "don't ask," but then his eyes lit up in realization. "Oh my God, Chandler, Monica gave me this note to give to you. It must have something to do with her being pregnant." He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Chandler.

He quickly unfolded it and found Monica's neat handwriting inside.

_Dear Chandler,_

_I've been trying to find a way to talk to you all day, but people have been around me constantly and I haven't been able to slip away. I wanted to do this in person, but really I just needed you to know before I tell anyone else. Chandler, I'm pregnant. Or at least I think I am. I took a test this morning, and it was positive. Please please __please__ don't freak out. You're going to be such an amazing dad, and we really do have a lot of time to figure everything out. I asked Ross to stay with you while you read this, so he can help calm you down if this is all too much to take. I love you so much, Chandler. Please be okay._

_Love, Monica_

Chandler smiled down at the letter and how much his fiancée cared about him. But as he imagined Monica back with her mom and Rachel, pacing around the room wondering if Chandler was actually going to be waiting for her when she walked down the aisle, his smile dimmed slightly. Monica shouldn't have to think that there would even be a chance that she was in this alone.

He reread the note, but paused when he saw the line about him needing to know before anyone else.

He looked up at Phoebe. "Um, Pheebs, how did you and Rachel know Monica was pregnant? She says here that she wanted me to be the first to know…"

Phoebe looked at her feet, slightly guiltily. "We found her positive pregnancy test in the trash in your apartment this morning."

Chandler sighed. His friends had no boundaries. He shook his head, focusing on the real matter at hand.

"Do either of you have a pen and paper?" he asked his friends.

Phoebe shook her head, seeming to be glad that Chandler had dropped the pregnancy test in the trash issue, but Ross rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a pen and a note pad, each emblazoned with the name of the hotel. "I'm just getting my money's worth!" Ross said defensively as Phoebe gave him a weird look.

Chandler took the pen and paper gratefully. He began to write a small note in response to Monica's.

_Monica-_

_It's okay. I know we can do this. I'll see you soon. I'll be the one waiting for you at the end of the aisle. _

_I love you so much._

_-Chandler_

He folded the note in half and gave it to Phoebe along with the gift bag. "Give these to Monica. Tell her to read the note first."

Phoebe nodded, smiling at him as she took the note and the bag and left.

"Okay, Chandler," Ross said, excitedly. "Almost show time."

* * *

Monica stood very still in her hotel room as she breathed in and out, growing more and more worried that Chandler had taken off and that what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life would end horribly.

Her mother seemed oblivious to the fact that Monica was distressed, but Rachel kept glancing at her concernedly. Every time Monica's gaze met Rachel's, Monica smiled at her friend, trying to reassure her that she was fine, but Monica didn't think Rachel was really convinced.

With less than ten minutes until everyone needed to be downstairs, Phoebe rushed in holding a small gift bag and a piece of paper.

"Monica, can I see you back here," she said hurriedly, pointing to the adjoining room.

Monica nodded and walked to the other room, followed by Phoebe and Rachel, who Phoebe seemed to have motioned to. Rachel shut the door quickly behind them.

"This is from Chandler," Phoebe said, holding out the bag and the piece of paper. "He said read the note first."

Monica sat down in a chair and unfolded the paper taken from a hotel note pad and read Chandler's words.

Instantly, a wave of relief washed over her. Chandler was fine. He was going to go through with the wedding, and he was okay with her being pregnant. She knew they would have a lot to talk about after the ceremony, but, for now, this was enough.

She turned her attention to the gift bag, as she reached in and pulled out a small bit of fabric.

Rachel awwed quietly as Monica held it up. It was a small onesie that said "I *heart* New York" on the front. A smile grew on Monica's face. Chandler was going to be the best dad.

Suddenly Monica realized that Phoebe and Rachel must have no idea what was going on.

"Okay, guys, um–" she began.

"Mon," Rachel said, interrupting. "It's okay. We know."

Monica looked from Phoebe to Rachel. "Wait, did Chandler tell you?"

Phoebe shook her head. "Actually Chandler found out because he heard us talking about it in the hallway," she motioned to Rachel, who put her hands over her mouth, shocked. "We actually found out this morning. I saw your pregnancy test in the trash." Phoebe shrugged unabashedly.

Ordinarily, Monica knew that she would be upset with her friends for this invasion of privacy and for them making Chandler find out about the situation from someone other than her, but the fact that Chandler was okay and that the wedding was going to happen as planned replaced any annoyance in her with relief and genuine happiness.

Monica smiled at her friends, letting the reality of her situation set in. "We're gonna have a baby," Monica said softly, mostly to herself.

Rachel and Phoebe beamed at her, Rachel's hands falling over her mouth as her eyes began to tear up.

"Guys! I'm gonna have a baby!" Monica said, this time to her friends as she stood up.

Phoebe and Rachel instantly hugged her, squealing excitedly.

"I can't believe it!" Rachel said, excitedly. "You're gonna be such a great mom."

"I know," Monica replied, tears swimming in her eyes.

There was a knock on the door, and Monica's mother poked her head into the room. "It's about time, dear," she said, smiling.

Monica wiped the tears from her eyes quickly and nodded. She was ready.

Monica waited with Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, and her parents in a small back room off of the larger one where the ceremony would be held. She knew Chandler and his parents were just outside since Chandler wasn't supposed to see her and he and his family were walking down the aisle first.

She heard the string quartet begin playing as the ceremony started. This was it. She was about to marry Chandler.

After a few moments, Phoebe, Ross, and Rachel were motioned to begin walking down the aisle, leaving Monica with just her parents. Her dad took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly as her mother beamed at her. And then her father took her arm, and it was their turn.

Monica saw Chandler waiting at the end of the aisle past all the family and friends seated in the audience. He grinned at her, and Monica finally let go of any nervousness about Chandler and the baby that she'd had since she had sat trying to calm herself down in her bathroom hours before.

Monica couldn't stop smiling as she made her way down the aisle, looking down at the floor every few feet to make sure she didn't trip over her dress.

"Ah, I wish your grandmother had lived to see this," her mother said pensively beside her.

"She's right there," Monica replied with a small gesture at her grandmother in one of the first few rows.

"Not that old crow, my mother," her mother clarified.

Monica decided not to respond, as the trio finally made it to the raised platform where the ceremony was going to take place.

Her mother kissed her on the cheek. "Congratulations, darling."

"We love you, sweetheart," her father added, kissing her cheek as well.

The two left and took their seats as Chandler stepped down to meet her.

"You look beautiful," he said. "Is this new?" He gestured to the wedding dress.

Monica almost rolled her eyes. "Not now."

"Okay," he agreed, taking her hand and leading her up onto the platform.

Monica had a minor freak out as she discovered that Joey wasn't there waiting to officiate, but rather there was a Greek Orthodox minister that she had never seen before. But, as Joey came hurrying down the aisle wearing a World War I military uniform after the other minister had only said two words, Monica let herself breathe again.

"Dearly beloved," Joey began formally, "I'm sorry I'm a little late. You may be confused by this now." He gestured to his uniform. "But you won't be Memorial Day Weekend 2002."

Monica shook her head slightly to Chandler at the fact that their friend was using their wedding to promote his movie. Chandler bounced up and down slightly, clearly both entertained by Joey's entrance and excited about the wedding.

"Well, let's get started before the groom takes off again, huh?" Joey whacked Chandler's arm jokingly.

Monica stared at Chandler, all sorts of questions appearing in her mind. He had run off? Was this before or after the baby news? Was the onesie just a freaked out Chandler move like his proposal after their argument about the future near the start of their relationship? Did he actually want to do this now, or had Ross or Phoebe or someone forced him into it? Monica didn't know what to think, as she glanced around at her friends, looking for answers.

Joey began speaking again. "We are gathered here today, to join this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony. I have known Monica and Chandler for a long time, and I cannot imagine two people more perfect for each other."

Monica smiled at Chandler, and he smiled back, his eyes shining as though he was going to start crying. Maybe everything _was_ okay with them.

"And now," Joey continued, "as I've left my notes in my dressing room, we shall proceed to the vows. Monica?" He looked at her, smiling.

Monica turned around to Rachel, exchanging her flowers for the small piece of paper on which she had written her vows to Chandler. "He took off?" Monica asked Rachel quickly.

"Go on, go on," her friend said, ignoring her question and gesturing for Monica to turn back around.

Monica faced Chandler again and smiled, deciding to act like nothing was wrong. She had gotten a lot of practice at that today. She began to read from the vows she had written a few weeks before. "Chandler." She felt herself getting emotional as she had during her proposal the previous year, but she knew she had to push through this. "For so long, I, I wondered if I would ever find my prince, my soulmate. Then, three years ago, at another wedding, I turned to a friend for comfort, and, instead, I found everything that I'd ever been looking for my whole life. And now, here we are, with our future before us, and I only want to spend it with you. My prince, my soulmate, my friend." Monica smiled at Chandler as she folded her paper back up, sniffling slightly, but not crying. Then she looked back up at him, wanting to make sure he wasn't being forced into anything. "Unless you don't want to."

Chandler's smile immediately fell, and he gave her a worried look.

"You go." Monica gestured to him.

"Chandler," Joey said, nodding at her, hopefully, husband-to-be.

Ross went to hand Chandler the paper with his vows, but he waved Ross away.

"No, that's okay." Chandler's eyes stayed locked on Monica's. "Monica, I thought this was going to be the most difficult thing I ever had to do, but when I saw you walking down that aisle, I realized how simple it was." He paused, the smallest hint of a smile flashing on his face before he turned serious again. "I love you."

Monica grinned hugely at him. She was so in love with the man standing in front of her.

He continued. "Any surprises that come our way, it's okay, because I will always love you."

Monica knew he was talking about the baby. He was okay with it. His letter had been completely real and sincere and not the product of any major freak out. She had Chandler's full support on this, and at the moment there wasn't anything else she wanted in the world.

"You are the person I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. You want to know if I'm sure?" Chandler leaned in and kissed her deeply.

Monica knew, without a doubt, that he was sure.

"You may now kiss the bride," Joey said, awkwardly beside them, interrupting their kiss.

As they separated, their hands still clasped together, Joey began again. "So, I guess by the power as vested in me by the state of New York, and the Internet guys, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Oh wait!" Joey said suddenly, remembering something. "Do you take each other?"

"I do," said Chandler, glancing away from Monica to Joey only for an instant before his eyes locked back with those of his almost-bride.

"I do," Monica said, not looking away from Chandler at all.

"Yeah you do!" Joey exclaimed happily, his smile almost too big for his face.

"Rings," Ross reminded Joey from behind Chandler.

Joey threw his head up. "Ah crap. Okay, um, uh, let's do the rings."

Monica and Chandler let go of each other's hands as she turned back to get Chandler's ring from Rachel and Chandler turned to get hers from Ross.

Monica slipped Chandler's ring on his finger first, and he did the same to her, each one unable to stop smiling at the other.

"We good?" Joey asked, looking from Rachel and Phoebe on one side to Ross on the other. When no one stopped him, he finished the ceremony. "Once again, I pronounce you husband and wife. Now kiss her again," he said gleefully to Chandler, who immediately obliged him the request.

The string quartet began playing again as the congregation clapped and cheered, but Monica barely heard any of them as she kissed Chandler. She was ecstatically happy. She was married! And not just to some guy, this was Chandler, her prince, her soulmate, her friend, as she had said in her vows. He was the greatest guy she had ever met. Her Chandler. And in not too long they would have a baby. A tiny girl with his sandy blonde hair and her eyes, or a little boy, his hair darker, but with Chandler's adorable smile. Monica was so excited.

The two finally separated.

"I love you," Chandler said softly, his arms still wrapped around her. "Did you like present?" he asked.

Monica grinned back at him. "I loved it. And I love you. Thank you so much for being okay about this."

Chandler smiled almost casually. "I'm having a baby with the greatest woman in the world, who, as of about a minute ago, is my wife. What's not to be okay about?" He laughed. "I did promise you a baby if neither of us had anyone by the time we turned 40, if you recall. I'm just cashing in on that a little early." He grinned at her.

Monica smiled back at him, as she remembered their conversation at a hospital about six years before. She had complained to Chandler about how she was never going to get a baby, and he had replied with his offer to have a baby with her if they were still single when they were 40. Of course she had dismissed it, asking him volatilely why she wouldn't have anyone when she was 40. Even back then, though, Monica had been struck by how sweet Chandler's offer had been. He was just so great. And now they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Chandler looked at her slightly more seriously. "I know it'll be tough, but you're gonna be the world's best mom, so I think we can figure it all out."

Somehow, even after being with Chandler for three years, he still could say things that made her fall in love with him even more. Monica bit her lip to keep from crying. "Well you'll be the world's best dad. You're already the world's greatest husband, so that shouldn't be too hard for you."

Chandler beamed at her, taking her hand in his. Amid the cheering family and friends, the pair walked back down the aisle together, side-by-side, knowing that whatever the future held for them, they would always be together.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are absolutely fantastic!_


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